Prescription pattern of antibiotics in dermatology: A Profile from a tertiary care teaching hospital, Kerala

Background: Antibiotics are commonly used in dermatology for infectious and inflammatory diseases. A study on the pattern of prescriptions will help in establishing fundamental data to enhance the utilization pattern of medications, elevate the standard of treatment, and enable prescribers to identify issues associated with drug usage, including adverse drug reactions, antibiotic resistance, drug interactions, and polypharmacy. Aim and Objective: The aim of the study was to describe the prescription pattern of antibiotics given to inpatients with dermatological disorders. Materials and Methods: This was a record-based descriptive study where the case records of 240 inpatients of the dermatology department of a tertiary care teaching hospital during the period from January 2019 to January 2022 were studied. The demographic profile, pattern of skin diseases reported, and pattern in antibiotic drugs usage were recorded with the help of a predesigned pro forma. Results: The mean age of the study population was 52.04 ± 16.91 years with male to female ratio 2.62:1. The most common skin disease diagnosed was Psoriasis (17.91%). Out of the 518 antibiotics prescribed to the patients in the study, the most preferred route of antibiotic administration was oral (48.84%). The most common oral antibiotic was cloxacillin (37.94%) while the most common parenteral antibiotic prescribed was cefotaxime (83%). Fusidic acid (78%) and mupirocin (16%) were commonly prescribed among the topical antibiotics. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination (76%) was commonly prescribed among the fixed drug combinations. Among the topical antibiotics, 8.78% were prescribed as fixed-dose combination with steroids. Antibiotics (29%) constitute the major class of drugs among prescriptions followed by steroids (14%) and antacids (11%). Most of the prescribed antibiotics belonged to the Access group of antibiotics according to AWaRe classification of antibiotics (63.2%). Conclusion: The most common class of antibiotics prescribed was beta-lactam group of antibiotics. The study will help in formulating guidelines for rational prescription of antibiotics with special reference to dermatological cases and create awareness among physicians for effective therapeutic outcome. This will avoid the burden of antimicrobial resistance and pave pathway for the strengthening of economy.